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Visiting Faculty or Scholars
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IEE
Faculty

Mark James

Associate Director, Institute for Energy and the Environment
Associate Professor, Maverick Lloyd School for the Environment
Associate Professor of Law, Vermont Law School
Institute for Energy and the Environment
New Economy Law Center
Environmental Law Center

LLM, Energy Law, Vermont Law School, 2016

JD, University of Ottawa

BS, Ecology, University of Toronto

802-831-1060

Curriculum Vitae

Mark James

Biography

Mark James is the Associate Director of the Institute for Energy and the Environment and an Associate Professor at Vermont Law and Graduate School. Mark teaches Energy Policy in a Carbon Constrained World and Oil & Gas Development & the Environment. Prior to joining the VLS faculty, Mark was a Global Energy LL.M Fellow at Vermont Law School between 2014 and 2016. 

Mark leads research into how to integrate inclusive, democratic processes into the clean energy transition. His current research projects focus on the use of economic tools to facilitiate the early retirement of coal-fired generation and how to ensure effective participation for environmental non-profits into regional transmission organization (RTO) stakeholder governance processes. Mark was the lead research on a collaborative project with national non-profit Protect Our Power exploring how to enhance cybersecurity for electric distribution utilities. The collaboration has produced two reports and multiple presentations to state regulatory commissioners. His earlier research focused on data privacy for energy information in low-income energy assistance programs and real estate transactions. He has completed numerous grant-funded projects including leading a research team on a multi-year SunShot Plug and Play project to commercialize adhered solar PV panel technology. 

Mark earned his B.Sc. in Ecology, with honors, from the University of Toronto and his J.D., with an environmental specialization, from the University of Ottawa. While completing his J.D., he co-founded the Canadian Association of Environmental Law Societies, a national environmental law student group connecting Canadian environmental law students, academics, and practitioners.

Publications

Articles

Using Non-Price Criteria in State Offshore Wind Solicitations to Advance Net Positive Biodiversity Goals,” (with Kira Jannuch, Kesley Koenig, Jack McGowan, Jon Small, and Ervin Yahr III) The Nature Conservancy and Institute for Energy and the Environment (2023).

“Securitizing the Just Transition,” (with Jack McGowan) Natural Resources & Environment – The Future of Electricity Supply and Use, ABA SEER, Volume 37, No. 3, Winter (2023).

Presentations

“Regulatory Opportunities: How Can NPI be Advanced in Offshore Wind Projects? An Examination of the Solicitation Process and Other Possible Implementing Mechanisms for NPI,” moderator and panelist, Marine Law Symposium, Roger Williams University School of Law Marine Affairs Institute (April 2023).  

“Regulatory Opportunities: How Can NPI be Advanced in Offshore Wind Projects? An Examination of the Solicitation Process and Other Possible Implementing Mechanisms for NPI,” moderator and panelist, Marine Law Symposium, Roger Williams University School of Law Marine Affairs Institute (April 2023).

Energy Assurance and Resilience: A Cross-Functional View, National Association of State Energy Officials and National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners Energy Security and Data Analysis Workshop, December 2, 2019.

Pathways to Improving Distribution Utility Cybersecurity, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners – Electricity Committee, November 17, 2019.

Pathways to Improving Distribution Utility Cybersecurity, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners – Critical Infrastructure Committee, November 16, 2019.

Cyber-Securing the Electric Grid: Barriers and Best Practices, Department of Homeland Security Region 1 and Federal Emergency Management Agency – NLE Cyber 2020 Workshop, May 30, 2019. 

Research on the survey of state commission works on regulatory issues on ensuring resilience and cybersecurity investments, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners – Electricity Committee, February 12, 2019.

Moderator, 9th Annual Colloquium on Environmental Scholarship, Vermont Law School, September 22, 2018.

Presenter, “Building Energy Efficiency into Real Estate Transactions”, 9th Annual Colloquium on Environmental Scholarship, Vermont Law School, September 22, 2018.

PEEIF: Using Technology to Address Low-Income Energy Burdens: A North Carolina Pilot Project, 2018 National Environmental Justice Conference, April 27, 2018.

Creating Additionality in City-Driven Renewable Energy Pledges, 2018 AALS Natural Resources and Energy Law Panel, January 3, 2018.

Presenter, “Clean Energy Policies: International, Federal, State, and Local Conflicts, Opportunities, and Constraints” Section on Natural Resources & Energy Law, Co-Sponsored by Environmental Law and State & Local Government Law, AALS, January 3, 2018.

Me and My Utility Data: Data Privacy in an Interconnected World, 2017 Vermont Journal of Environmental Law Symposium, October 20, 2017.

Privacy and Governance Issues in Energy Efficiency Databases, NEEP-HELIX Year One Summit¸ November 10, 2016.

Planning for the Sun to Come Up: Examining the Root Causes and Future Impacts of California and Nevada’s Divergent Approaches to Net Metering, 8th Annual University of San Diego Climate & Energy Law Symposium, November 4, 2016.

Emerging Litigation in Water Law - Des Moines Water Works, 2015 Vermont Journal of Environmental Law Conference “TMDLs 2.0,” October 23, 2015.

Public Utility Commissions and Public Interest Litigation: How Citizen Action Can Advance and Protect the Renewable Energy Economy, 2015 Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Eugene OR, March 6, 2015.

Welcoming Statement - Making Waves, 2014 Canadian Association of Environmental Law Societies, Ottawa, ON, February 21-22, 2014.  

Welcoming Statement - Thinking Big and Small, 2013 Canadian Association of Environmental Law Societies, Ottawa, ON, February 22-23, 2013.